China will more than double nuclear energy by mid 2020s

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China plans to more than double its atomic power capacity in the next decade, bucking the trend of consolidation in western Europe and North America. The Asian nation’s expansion will contribute to a 6.6 percent increase in global nuclear capacity over the next decade, according to BMI Research.

Late in 2017 or early in 2018, two AP1000 nuclear reactors will start operating in China.

Plans for future AP1000 units will now be CAP1000, which is a local standardization of the design, transitional to the CAP1400. It is said to have reduced cost and improved operation and maintenance attributes. The demonstration CAP1000 plant is planned for Haiyang 3 and 4 CAP1000 localization is 80%. In mid-2013 SNPTC quoted approx. $3000/kW capital cost and 7 c/kWh for the CAP1400 (1400MW version of a china modified AP1000).

CAP1400 may be followed by a larger, three-loop CAP1700 design if the passive cooling system can be scaled to that level. Agreements with Westinghouse stipulate that SNPTC will own the intellectual property rights for any derivatives over 1350 MWe. SNPEC is doing the engineering under a team from SNERDI, the Shandong Electric Power Engineering Consulting Institute (SEPECI), and the State Nuclear Power Equipment Manufacturing Company (SNPEMC), which will make the components.

China also has the Hualong One reactor design.

The CPR-1000 used as its base design units 5 and 6 of the Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in France. Some CPR-1000 intellectual property rights are retained by Areva, which limits overseas sales potential. there was an advanced CPR-1000 design called the ACPR1000. China merged the ACPR1000 with the China National Nuclear Corporation ACP1000 design, while allowing some differences, under direction of the Chinese nuclear regulator. Both are three-loop designs originally based on the same French design, but now have different nuclear cores.

The CNNC ‘Hualong One’ version will be the main domestic model built with the aim of lowering the price of the reactor to equip the national fleet cheaply. After Fuqing 5&6 CNNC plans to build the next at Zhangzhou in Fujian province, previously an AP1000 project. This reactor design will be dedicated to the domestic market and some international markets such as Pakistan, Argentina, and possibly Eastern Europe. It is under construction in Pakistan.

China is also completing a commercial high temperature pebble bed reactor in 2018.
China is working on fast neutron nuclear reactors.
China will likely start developing a supercritical water nuclear reactor.